Where Have I Been Lately?

For Sale: 2010 Ridley Oval Track Bike - $900

Jordan's 2010 54cm Ridley Oval Track Bike is for sale. Raced sparingly for two seasons. Excellent Condition.

Complete as pictured, including new wheelset $900

Specs:
2010 Ridley Oval Track Aluminum Frame 54cm Silver/Black
Carbon Fork w/integrated headset
Brand new Vuelta Zero Lite 700c Clincher Wheelset 16T Cog
Serfas Seca RS Tires
SRAM Omnium Crankset 167.5mm 48T chainring
Ritchey WCS Seatpost - Black
Selle Italia Flite Signo Gel Saddle - Red
Specialized Comp Stem 100mm - Black
Specialized Pro Shallow Drop Bars - 42cm c-c
Fizik Bar Tape
Track Chain

More details on Ridley's website: http://www.ridley-bikes.com/pd/gb/en-gb/6/203/fitness-track/oval

contact: j.cullen@sbcglobal.net

Jingle Cross 2012!

I headed back up north to Minnesota two weeks ago mainly for Thanksgiving, but also for Jingle Cross. I brought my friend and teammate Noah Williams with me as well. We were both looking forward to racing jingle cross for fun in the 2/3s race.

Noah and I ready to hit the road to Jingle Cross.


Jingle Cross is my favorite cross race and I have been doing it for six years now. I really enjoy the whole atmosphere there and the crazy fans. Knowing that Jingle Cross was the only cross race that I am going to do this year was a little weird after coming off of several full cross season. Noah and I both showed up with zero expectations.

The first day went pretty well. I had a lack-luster start but quickly made up places on all of the road sections. I made contact with the lone leader with half a lap to go and was feeling good but I got tangled up with a lapped rider and had to stop. I ended up second but I had a lot of fun still!

The podium from Friday

Saturday's race went even better. I had a much better start than the previous race. The rest of the race I rode very conservatively but caught the two leaders with 2 laps to go. I then recovered before attacking through the pit and getting a gap. My gap got up to 30 seconds and I held it there to the finish.

Saturday's podium shot

Sunday was pretty similar to Saturday's race. I had a fairly good start and rode the first two laps at a safe pace. I made contact with the front at the end of the second lap and launched an attack. I quickly got a gap of 15 seconds and I was able to ride very conservatively to the finish to win again.

Sunday's Salute!

I am very pleased with how all three days went! I had a ton of fun and the results were just an added bonus. Thanksgiving with my relatives was really great as well since I had not seen them in so long. I am back in Wimberly to train for a few weeks before heading back north for Christmas and New Years.

Sold: 2011 Ridley Xfire SRAM Red Black Mavic Ksyrium Elite



Frame Geometry



Selling Jordan's new 2011 54cm Ridley Xfire - $2950 $2600 (Sold!)

Ridden a couple times, never raced. Purchased as a 3rd spare bike. Perfect working order, ready to race.

Ridley's run large, so fits more like a 56cm in other brands. Check the geometry chart for specific measurements and fitment.

Details:

2011 Ridley Xfire full carbon frameset/fork - White/Red

Internal cable routing

Shifters: SRAM Red Black

Front Derailleur: SRAM Red Black

Rear Derailleur: SRAM Red Black

Crankset: SRAM Red Black 175mm 46/39 Pressfit 30

Bottom Bracket: SRAM Red Black Pressfit 30

Brakes: TRP EuroX Cantilever - Red

Wheelset: Mavic Ksyrium Elite Black

Tires: Specialized Captain CX

Cassette: Shimano 12-27 10speed

Chain: SRAM 10 speed

Stem: Ritchey WCS 100mm Wet White

Bars: Ritchey WCS 42cm Wet White

Seatpost: Ritchey WCS 400mm single bolt clamp Wet White
Saddle: Fizik Tundra - Black/Red
Bar Tape: Fizik Microtex White
No pedals

contact: j.cullen@sbcglobal.net

Off-season Update

I have been at the William's Racing Academy in Wimberley, Texas for 10 days now. So far it has been great! Awesome weather, riding, and a great group of guys to live with.This past weekend the Slipstream-Craddock testing camp was held here. I had never been tested before so it was a great experience for me to run through the tests to see what I could do. The camp was also a great opportunity to meet the riders who are new to the team. Not much to report aside from training and school work. I'll work on taking more pictures so I can show you guys what it is like to live and train down here!

Repeat Short and Fat Champion

Jordan's 2nd Short and Fat Victory

Jordan lived up to expectations as the favorite to win the 2012 Chequamegon Short and Fat. He won by over 3 minutes, beating Brett Poulton and Ian Haupt, who were 2nd, and 3rd respectively. Jordan flew the Freewheel Bike colors, in thanks to owner Kevin Ishaug, who loaned Jordan his 2012 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 MTB for the event. Additional thanks go to Maury Malanaphy of Trek for helping find Jordan a bike to race at this year's event. Jordan doesn't own a mountain bike, and racing a cross bike isn't practical.

The age limit to enter the Chequamegon 40 is 18. At 17, Jordan's only choice this year was to come back and attempt to defend his 2011 Short and Fat title. Jordan was afforded a front row start, thanks to John Thompson. It was so nice to have so many people, both friends and strangers, approach Jordan to say "hi" and "good luck".

Jordan's plan was the same as last year. Attack as soon as the pavement ends, less than a mile into the race. All the contenders were ready for the move, and he didn't just ride away from everyone like last year. However, only Myles Beach was able to match Jordan's pace, as a gap slowly opened to the rest of the field, led by Josey Weik. Beach pulled through over the top of the first climb, only to have Jordan attack again, and get away for good. Beach would ultimately make the chase group of 7, and finish 4th on the day.

Jordan came into view at Telemark with over a 3 minute lead, and a big smile on his face. He was within reach of his course record from the previous year, 38:41, but decided to enjoy the last kilometer of the race, and savor the feeling of repeating as Short and Fat champion.

Next year will be Jordan's first opportunity to race the Cheq 40. However, he will also be in his last year of road racing as a junior, and hopes to qualify for the Junior Road World Championships. Since road worlds are typically held at the same time as the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, he may have to postpone his 1st attempt at the Cheq 40.

Short and Fat Start Line - 900 Starters

Attacking immediately on the first hill

Pulling away with Myles Beach

No Mercy

All smiles with over a 3 minute lead and 1Km to go



2012 Chequamegon Short and Fat Podium

Top 3 - 2012 Chequamegon Short and Fat

Jordan and Chequamegon Race Director and Legend Gary "The Fatman" Crandall

Chequamegon Pre-Race Press Release

2012 Chequamegon Pre-race Press Release including riders to watch.

Excerpt: "Jordan Cullen is the clear favorite in the Short & Fat, after having won it by four minutes in 2011.  Several young riders will challenge Cullen in the 16-mile race, including last year’s runner up Ian Haupt and 2011 fourth place finisher Collin Kemmesat from Bismarck, N. D."

Like a Boss!

Jordan takes the win at the Lauwe Kermis with a bike throw

Coming Home

Racing with his fancy watch

Jordan is finally coming home this week. He and his Slipstream Craddock Team led a great racing campaign in Belgium. The 17-18 squad scored 2 wins, and many top 5 finishes. What a great experience for this talented group. Things look great for next year, with the almost all of the 17-18 squad returning next year, along with a couple of the 16 yr olds moving up to join them.

We miss Jordan, and are looking forward to seeing him for the first time in almost 6 weeks.

Jordan is ready for a break from racing in preparation for the 2013 road season, and is sticking with his original plan of not racing much cyclocross this fall. He does plan to race the Chequamegon Short and Fat, as well as Jingle Cross.

He'll be home in Hudson for about 6 weeks, then he travels to the LoneStar Works Cycling Academy in Texas on Oct 8th.

Haaltert Kermesse



Slipstream Craddock dominating the breakaway



Noah Williams 3rd Place

Slipstream Craddock had a great race at the Haaltert Kermis. Noah Williams, Jordan, and Imari Miller finished 3rd, 4th, and 9th, respectively.

The boys will do a couple more races, and then Jordan comes home this Wednesday.

The Cost of Pursuing Your Dreams

The local newspaper, Hudson Star Observer, interviewed Jordan about the upcoming school year, and his plans to travel to Texas for his Junior year of High School. This article prompted Hudson residents to question the support of the school system for elite athletes in less popular sports. A teacher even wrote a letter to the editor praising Jordan for his resolve, and criticizing the school system for the lack of support.

Guest Riding in The Westbrabantse Arrow

Jordan races through the Belgian Countryside

Jordan and Slipstream Craddock teammate Noah Williams are headed to Holland this weekend for the 3-day stage race De Westbrabantse Pijl which translates to "The Westbrabantse Arrow".

The race includes 4 stages. Friday is a 94km road stage. There are 2 stages Saturday, a 9km TT in the morning, then a 88km road stage is the afternoon. Sunday concludes with a 127km road stage.

Jordan and Noah will be guest riding for a Belgian team. It should be quite an adventure for them, as they are not travelling with any other Americans, not event their team director, Christains Williams. Jordan joked they were going to watch the movie "Taken" last night in preparation for the trip.

Jordan Victorious in Lauwe

Jordan wins the Lauwe Kermis

The 17-18 squad of Slipstream Craddock recovered very nicely from a dissappointing race yesterday. Jordan and teammate Jonathon Schilling made a breakaway of 6, then shed 3 of them, finishing in a 3-man sprint. Jordan 1st, Jonathon 3rd.

Recap from Jordan's perspective:
"I took off solo on the first lap, and was away for 2 laps. Then a group of 7 bridged up to me with teammates Jonathon Schilling and Chris Keeling. Later Keeling was dropped from the break, so Christian (Slipstream Craddock team director) told me to hit it and try to drop the others. Only Schilling and USA rider Justin Oien could follow. The 3 of us rotated for 8 laps. With 1 lap to go, Schilling and I started attacking Oien, but couldn't shake him. I led out the sprint and beat Oien in a bike throw. Schilling 3rd."

Results can be viewed here.

Update from Belgium

Action shot from the Kruishoutem  Kermis

Cooling Down Post Race

Placing flowers they've won at the local chapel

A few of the Argyle Army - Jordan, Imari, Noah, and Zeke

Jordan has had a couple of tough races this week. Slipstream Craddock teammate Noah Williams scored a podium finish on Thursday, Aug 9th. Sunday's race did not go as well, with Imari Miller having the best finish on the team - 12th place.

Jordan finished 35th on Thursday, 71st on Sunday. He's hungry for another good result.

Thursday's results can be viewed here.

Sunday's results can be viewed here.

Enjoying Belgium

Photo Op with Andre Greipel

Touring Brugge

Jordan's First International Win

Jordan's day in Belgium came today at the Lierde Kermesse. His Slipstream Craddock team rode their best race so far this season, resulting in Jordan taking his first international cycling victory. The race was 16 laps on a circuit for a total of 90Km. His team raced patiently, and placed Jordan in a breakeaway late in the race. He had several teammates make bridge attempts to join the breakaway, with Mino Giunta eventually making it across. Mino was the rider that Jordan gave his wheel too at the Junior Nationals Road Race. Mino made good on that favor and then some, helping Jordan attack and get away solo for the win. Slipstream Craddock director, Christian Williams was instrumental in orchestrating their race from the sidelines.

In the podium ceremony, it was none other than Classics cycling legend, Peter Van Petegem, who presented Jordan with the victory flowers. Jordan didn't recognize who Peter was until Christian told him.

Jordan has been blessed this year to race with a great team, with a great director. Us parents are so proud of his accomplishments, and so happy he is getting this international experience with his Slipstream Craddock family!

Jordan is interviewed following his victory. Peter Van Petegem is on the far right.

Peter Van Petegem and a very proud Jordan

Results with timing can be found here.

Jordan's First International Podium Finish

The 17-18 year old squad of Slipstream Craddock completed their first international race this past Sunday in Belgium, the Deinze Kermis. Jordan made the breakaway group of 7 with 80K to go. His team rode brilliantly in defense, with Jordan winning all the primes and finishing 3rd overall from 93 starters. 2nd place was 18 year old Frenchman Quentin Jauregui, who earned a Bronze medal at the 2012 Junior World Cyclocross Championships. A great result for the team, especially considering it was their first road race since Junior Nationals in June.

Results with timing can be found here.

Local News Article on Jordan

Hudson Star Observer Article

A Dream Come True

Jordan's First National Championship: 17-18 Individual 3K Pursuit

Slipstream Craddock Goes 1-2 in the 4K Team Pursuit National Championship

These guys are truly something special

National Championship Jersey and Gold Medal - 7 years of hard work pays off

3K Individual Pursuit National Championship Results

4K Team Pursuit National Championship Results

Jordan turned 17 years old on Wednesday. The next day, he achieved his dream of earning a National Championship in the 3K Individual Pursuit on the Track. The following day he earned his 2nd Stars and Stripes as a part of a 4 man crew in the 4K Team Pursuit. An amazing 3 days in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.

This was Jordan's first Track Nationals. The favorite to win the 3K Individual Pursuit was Jordan's Slipstream Craddock teammate, and defending national champion, Greg Daniel. Jordan's championship ride is best summed up in his own words, “Just going in, I wasn’t sure how I would pace it,” he admitted. “In training, I never did a full 3K. My dad was calling out the splits, and they were faster than I wanted going in, but I felt good, so I decided to go with it.” Jordan won by 2 seconds in a time of 3:35, from a field of 21 racers.

The 4K Team Pursuit is a race where 4 teammates start together, each rider taking short pulls on the front in a single paceline. Their finish time is measured from the front wheel of the 3rd rider from the team to finish, so they are allowed to drop one rider. A good team can ride a time faster than the fastest individual on the team could ride alone. This requires practice and discipline. The strongest rider has to moderate their effort to maximize the contribution from the rest of the team.

Slipstream Craddock fielded 2 pursuit teams, "Slipstream Black" and "Slipstream Blue". The Blue team was first on the track of 7 teams, and rode a flawless race, finishing with all 4 riders in an impressive time of 4:45. Their time held up as the next 5 teams finished, with the closest 7 seconds off the pace.

The Slipstream Black team went 2nd to last. Their fastest time from training was well off the Slipstream Blue time, but they set an aggressive lap schedule, targeting a time of 4:36. Their start was flawless, and they started ticking off each of the 12 laps right on schedule. Each rider took their turn on the front for half a lap, except for Jordan who took full lap pulls. They were setting the fastest intermediate time splits. Then late in the race, they had a bad exchange, gapping one of their riders. That rider dug deep, making it back into formation to take one more pull before leaving it for the other 3 to finish it off. They hit their target time exactly, almost 20 seconds faster than in practice.

Only one team was left to spoil the 1-2 finish for the Slipstream Black and Slipstream Blue. The "Young Medalists" team ticked off laps, matching Slipstream Blue's splits, but falling off the pace of Slipstream Black. It went down to the wire, finishing just 1 second off Blue's pace, slotting into 3rd. Elation in the Slipstream Craddock camp!

This was the culmination of the efforts by Slipstream Craddock team director, Christian Williams. It was poetic that his son, Noah Williams, was a member of the Gold Medal Pursuit team. It was Noah's first National Championship Gold.

A sincere thank you go out to all of Jordan's sponsors, supporters, and fans who helped him achieve his National Championship dream!

Texas State Time Trial

Cat 2 Podium - Cullen 1st, Schilling 2nd

Jordan crushed it a the Texas State Time Trial on Saturday, June 30th. He won the Cat 2 division, in a time of 53:51, on a 42K course, finishing over a minute ahead of teammate Jonathan Schilling. Way to go guys!

Jr Nationals Road Race

After a days rest, Jordan and his Slipstream Craddock team were ready to battle for another Junior National Championship. The road race was held on a 15-mile rolling circuit on the Fort Gordon Army Base. An early morning start meant the heat wouldn't be a huge factor. With 150+ racers taking the start, on a course lacking any real challenge, a field sprint was very likely.

Crashes were the story of the day, several on the first lap. Slipstream Craddock led the field through the feedzone at the end of the first lap, with Jordan riding near the back. His teammate Mino Gunta had a flat tire, but the wheel car was no where in sight. Suddenly we hear at the end of the feed zone hill, hoping none of our riders were involved. Then Jordan appears, having turned around and immediately offers his rear wheel to Mino.

Jordan figures he will grab a nuetral wheel from the car, and quickly chase back up. Unfortunately, the wheel car is several minutes behind the race, servicing the many previous crashes. After a few minutes, we start asking if anyone has a spare. A generous parent offers one, and Jordan heads off to make up a deficit of several minutes.

Jordan caught up to Mino, and Imari Miller, who was involved in the feedzone crash. Those 3 worked together in a small group to regain the field, but eventually realized it was an impossible task.

At the front of the race, Slipstream Craddock still had 7 racers in the front group which was still 70-80 riders strong with 1 lap to go. Several crashes near the end of the race left several racers with a painful, disappointing ride to the finish.

As predicted, the race did end in a large field sprint, with Alex Darville jumping too early, leaving the door open to Miguel Bryon for the win in a photo finish with Logan Owen. Ansel Dickey finished 3rd.

Teammate Michael Dessau narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing 6th, with Greg Daniel taking 8th.

Even though the team didn't achieve the success they would have liked in the Road Race and Criterium, the team gained some valuable experience. With a majority of the riders remaining in the junior ranks for next year, the future certainly looks bright for the Slipstream Craddock Junior Development Team.

Jr Nationals Criterium

Jordan giving his all for the good of the team

Teammate Dessau takes 4th

After the Slipstream Craddock's dominant performance at the previous day's time trial, all the other teams were sure to be keying off them. All 10 racers started near the back of the 150 rider Junior 17-18 criterium field.

On the first lap, Greg Daniel crashed out of the race in just the second corner. Never a good sign. An early 2-man break including danger man Alex Darville of Hammer Nutrition, resulted in an insane pace right from the gun. This made it very difficult to move to the front, and it took several laps before Slipstream Craddock got organized on the front. Once they got organized, they worked with others to bring back Darville.

The hard early pace, along with the oppresive heat had riders being dropped by the dozens before the race was even half way done. Jordan rode with great strength, being on or near the front of the field for a majority of the race. Steven Bassett of Texas Roadhouse made a late race solo move for several laps, that was eventually reeled in.

With a few laps remaining, it was Brendan Rhim, of Woodstock Bicycle Club, who made a solo bid for glory, and the field was slow to react, giving him a solid gap. A crash near the front of the chasing field on the final corner just before seeing one lap to go disrupted the chase just enough for Rhim to hang on for victory, barely. Alex Darville - 2nd, Matt Schaupp (Ritte Development) - 3rd, Michael Dessau (Slipstream Craddock) - 4th, Geoffery Curran (Surf City Cyclery) - 5th.

Jordan managed to avoid the late race crash, and finished a respectable 20th. Teammates Noah Williams and Jonathan Schilling went down in the crash, but were unscathed.

USA Cycling Junior National Time Trial



Pro Set-up

Warming up

Go Time!

Finish line in sight

Podium Performance

Proud Moment

17-18 Podium (L-R) - Dessau (4th), Eisenhardt (2nd), Daniel (1st), Rex (3rd), Cullen (5th)

Awesome Team! 3 National Champions, 7 Podiums

Jordan and his Slipstream Craddock team had a very successful day at the USA Cycling Junior National Time Trial held in Augusta, GA on June 21. Jordan averaged 28mph over the 30K (18.3mi) course, good enough for 5th place. This marked the 4th year in a row Jordan has made the TT podium at Junior Nationals.

Even better, his team dominated the 17-18 podium, including National Champion, Greg Daniel, and 4th place, Michael Dessau. His team swept the top 3 in the 15-16 TT, with Zeke Mostov 1st, Jake Silverberg 2nd, and Adrian Costa 3rd. To top things off, Adam Croft won the 10-12 TT. 3 national champions and 7 podiums. What an amazing team performance!